[atomic_dog]

First the FBI wants to seize documents without a warrant and now the mere "existence of an encryption program" on a computer can be admitted as evidence of criminal intent.

Does anyone else see something wrong here or am I just being paranoid?

[Doctor Stochastic]

It's just part of the Patriot Act, Son of the Patriot Act, Return of the Patriot Act, Cheech and Chong Meet the Patriot Act, etc. mentality. "If you do nothing wrong, you've nothing to hide." Thus if you are hiding something, you must be doing Something Wrong.

[garyhope]

Geez, how many people have PGP on their computers?

[TheOtherOne]

Does anyone else see something wrong here or am I just being paranoid?

DING! No, I love to have my CONSTITUTIONAL rights just trapled by the Courts and the Legislature.

[Hank Rearden]

Minnesota court takes dim view of encryption

Therefore, I take a dim view of Minnesota courts. And maybe Minnesota.

Yeah, what the hell - I do. Frozen wasteland anyway. Decrypt this!

[A Balrog of Morgoth]

There's not very much common ground between me and a pervert who likes to photgraph nude children, but hey, I'm actually on the same page with this guy about the encryption.

[Revel]

"A Minnesota appeals court has ruled that the presence of encryption software on a computer may be viewed as evidence of criminal intent."

That is a pretty lame and disprovable statement if you ask me.
Sometimes people are not doing anything illegal but they don't want other people who have access to a computer to read personal info. Everyone who pays attention knows that authorities can break any encryption available to the public anyways. but it would prevent normal people from reading stuff, or looking at personal data.

[SteveMcKing]

I have passwords to bank accounts, commercial accounts, my resume, application letters, my own and relatives' social security numbers, love letters, hate letters, proprietary business data, and other critical information on my computer.

It is criminally negligent NOT to encrypt your important files.

[ikka]

Is that really what the court is saying in this case though? I mean, they had the testimony of the girl herself plus the guy's web browser history.

[kingu]

ren pgp.exe trashpot.exe
1 file renamed.

[VeniVidiVici]

Ok, from what I gather from this poorly written article is that the convicted guy appealed because the state claimed that the existance of PGP indicated criminal intent.

The appeals court overruled this, allowing the state to claim the existance of PGP indicates criminal intent, but then they tossed what appear to be the most onerous charges anyhow.

Why?

[Keith in Iowa]

Just replace "existence of an encryption program" with "presence of a firearm"...it's how it was used that matters. If the PGP software was used to encrypt kiddie-porn, hang the bastard.

[TheOtherOne]

Ahh American Justice:

The Constitutional rights of the innocent are often defended in court by the guilty.

(many here on FR fail to realize this.)

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

"...the presence of encryption software on a computer may be viewed as evidence of criminal intent."

Um, it's built into Windows XP and MacOS X. There aren't enough prisons to hold all of us criminals, then.

[etcetera]

Compression software like WinZip can be considered encryption tools. Once compressed, a file is unreadable just as if it were encrypted. This is an example of judicial ignorance, and how that can be dangerous.

[Finalapproach29er]

Liberal judges to save the last vestages of our privacy, or conservative judges to stop the daily idiocies.

Don't they call this a Hobson's choice?

[SpaceBar]

I guess having a car can be construed as intent to rob a bank, or using envelopes instead of postcards means you are hiding criminal messages. Encryption is all around us, in programs, embedded in hardware, on the backs of your credit cards. What these crypto-marxists (pun intended) want is to outlaw private citizens from protecting themselves in a society brimming with surveillance and intrusions into privacy. But it's fine I suppose for the music industry. The kiddie-porn thing isn't even an issue here, it's the presumption of intent by possessing something not only not unusual but will probably be even more necessary in the future i.e. personal encryption software. Joseph Stalin would be proud of these judges.

[DaiHuy]

"...the mere "existence of an encryption program" on a computer can be admitted as evidence of criminal intent."


I guess that means that putting letters in envelopes is also a sign of criminal intent.

[MarkL]

First the FBI wants to seize documents without a warrant and now the mere "existence of an encryption program" on a computer can be admitted as evidence of criminal intent.

Does anyone else see something wrong here or am I just being paranoid?

Coming soon to a courtroom near you... "Today, the Supreme Court ruled that "taking the fifth," i.e. stating that you will not answer a question is a right protected by the fifth amendment, will now be taken to mean that you're guilty.

Mark

[Centurion2000]

First the FBI wants to seize documents without a warrant and now the mere "existence of an encryption program" on a computer can be admitted as evidence of criminal intent.

Does anyone else see something wrong here or am I just being paranoid?

This is scary as hell. I use encryption to deliver files to my office, now all my encyrption software is considered criminal intent ?

I might as well rig the PC with a thermite demo system now.

[getsoutalive]

bump for later